Luciana Raze
Luciana Raze is the Baroness of Raultley, but considers herself to be the rightful Duchess of Oloine. Presently she is scheming to bring about a restoration of the old family title. 'Appearance:' Lady Luciana has with some sadness crested the hill of her forties, but her youthful beauty is reluctant to depart. The flecks of grey are hardly visible in her platinum locks, and the fine lines that frame her green eyes lend them a certain distinction that they may once have lacked. Her lips have grown paler and thinner, and her high brow has been creased with concern, but her nose remains straight, her chin remains fine, and her tall, curvaceous figure remains swayingly elegant. Critics would say her straight nose is too flat, her fine chin too long, that her waist is too wide. But it is certain that Luciana Raze has a poise and charm that has swayed many a man in her 40 years. 'Skills:' The Duchess of Oloine is no Machiavellian schemer. Rather,she is a sharp-witted and sensitive opportunist, reacting rapidly to seize the advantage of any new situation. To her, politics is like panning for gold –sifting through muddied waters for the eventual sparkling prize. If she must muddy the waters herself, so be it. Growing up under the brutal scrutiny of her parents and siblings, the Duchess has developed into an instrument finely-tuned to human personalities. She is adept at identifying, exploiting, soothing, or otherwise manipulating the weaknesses, secrets, hopes, and insecurities of others, and will do so if she feels it is necessary. 'Equipment:' The Duchess clothes herself exclusively in finery. Her dresses of choice exemplify her voluptuous figure and elegant poise with fine fabrics, and the familial riches of the House of Raze decorate her throat, wrists, fingers, and hair. Quite aside from their beauty and value, these treasures are alive with enchantments befitting so great a house, and in this fashion Luciana is protected to varying degrees from poison, illusions, and other threats to her noble person. Aside from this, Luciana has little “equipment” of which to speak, but her manor in Raultley is, of course, healthily stocked with fine goods and useful items. Luciana might privately count her impressive repertoire of alliances and employees under this heading as well. 'Background:' Luciana is a proud scion of the ancient House of Raze, who ruled Camlorn as kings through the Third Era until Queen Talara Raze married into the House of Valtieri. She is the heir to a cadet branch and thus to the Duchy of Oloine, the house's ancestral seat. However in 3E 385 the Duchy vanished. Jannequin Raze, the Duke of Oloine and brother of the king, was found guilty of assassinating his brother and usurping the throne. For his crimes he was exiled from the capital and stripped of his major lands and titles, escaping execution only by the mercy of Queen Talara, whom he had raised as a daughter. Old Oloine was absorbed into the crown lands with parcels distributed among the new queen's loyal vassals, and Jannequin and his ancestors left dispossesed if wealthy in their own right. Over the years, however, as the name of Raze disappeared from the throne of Camlorn by marriage to the Valtieris, the Oloine branch recovered strength, building from their far-flung agricultural holdings a considerable wealth, and in the early Fourth Era marrying into the Barony of Raultley. Luciana's father held his Baronial court in Raultley, where he began to forge the weapons his daughter would later wield. Exploiting to the fullest the age of his line, the extent of his lands, and his great personal wealth, the Baron of Raultley laid the foundations for lasting bonds with the expansive Camlornese peasantry and the local Free Riders, to one of whom his youngest son was even married. His sons, however, did not live to succeed him: Alabard was a casualty of the Oblivion Crisis, Andre died hunting, Theodore and his Free Rider wife succumbed to a fever. By the time the sonless Baron himself passed away, Luciana Raze was his only child, but it is likely he favoured her as heir in any case. Since her accession to the Barony, Luciana has furthered her father's work. Throughout her baronial lands and beyond, she maintains alliances and understandings with the formidable Reiter class and with mercenary free companies. Through influence direct or indirect she controls a sizeable portion of Camlorn's agricultural sector, and has a firm handle on dozens of other essential industries, with stakes major or minor in numerous mercantile pursuits. 'Personality:' Luciana Raze is defined by the life's work of her forebears. If she is driven, she is driven in her pursuit of the Duchy. If she is greedy, she is greedy for the acres of Oloine. If she is ruthless it is to sweep aside all pretenders, and if she is unscrupulous it is to sink to their level and attack them from below. The full force of the Duchess' personality is brought to bear only in the great pursuit of the House of Raze, distracted never for more than a few hours at a time by the eclectic heap of enterprise beneath her. In person, her formidable drive and dislike of distractions are often evident. She resents any claim to “deserve” her attention, empathy, or time, even if she would otherwise give it. Even so her good taste, delicate (one hesitates to call it “gentle”) manner and soothing grasp of the human psyche make her a deceptively easy woman to like and to trust. 'Character Summary:' The small and insignificant holding of Raultley does not satisfy Luciana, the last scion of House Raze of Oloine. The Baroness is no usurper; she has no desire to steal the Valtieri throne. She wants only what is hers: her rightful seat as Duchess of Oloine, and will do whatever she can to obtain it. Category:Characters Category:Breton Category:Nobility Category:Camlorn